For years, dentists have used dental mirrors for insertion in a dental patients' mouth for reflecting images of areas within the patients' mouth for viewing by the dentist. This technique works, although it has several disadvantages. First, it is often difficult to hold the dental mirror in an appropriate position in order to reflect the desired image. Secondly, it is more difficult to ensure that proper lighting is available to the area within the mouth to be reflected by the dental mirror. An even greater disadvantage is that it is very difficult to use such prior art dental mirrors in a situation where a dentist wishes to discuss certain regions within the mouth with other people, be it the patient, colleagues, dental assistants, or students in a teaching institution.
Electronic video endoscopes have been used in recent years, for example as is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 611,684 filed May 18, 1984 on an invention of Cooper et al, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Such prior art video endoscopes use either fiber optics or a miniature camera, such as a charge coupled device (CCD), in order to transport an image to a monitor. Such prior art video endoscopes come in a variety of sizes, but are typically rather small and tubular in nature in order that they maybe easily inserted within a body cavity or surgical opening. Certain prior art endoscopes include a light source located at their end in order to ensure proper lighting is available for illumination of the area of the desired image.
However, such prior art video endoscopes were not specifically designed for use in dental applications and are rather clumsy in such applications. As one example, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to properly view the lingual aspects of the teeth using such prior art video endoscopes, due to their tubular shape.
A number of attempts have been made in the prior art to provide intraoral camera devices. Such attempts are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,382,781; 4,468,197; 4,479,499; 4,629,425, European Patent Application No. 0 122 537 A; Offenlegungsschrift 2,208,902: and Offenlegungsschr1ft DE 304 5162 Al.
It is also known in the prior art to use lasers in conjunction with dental procedures, as described, for example, in Myers, "Dental Technology: Knocking at High-Tech's Door," The Journal of the American Dental Association (1989) 118:285-294; Myers, "A Review of Lasers in Dentistry," Il Dentista Moderno (1989); Myers, "In vitro caries removal," CDA Journal (1989) pp. 9-10; Myers et al., "First Soft Tissue Study Utilizing a Pulsed Nd:YAG Dental Laser," Northwest Dentistry (1989) pp. 14-16; Myers et al., "The Use of a laser for Debridement of incipient caries," The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry (1985) 53:776-777; Myers et al., "What Lasers Can Do for Dentistry and You," Dental Management (1989) 29:26-30; Dunlap, "Is There A Laser In Your Future," Dental Economics (1988); Laser Magazine, NR. 1, August (1989) (Various articles and authors).
However, such prior art laser dental instruments require the dentist performing the procedure to rely on viewing the treatment area directly or via an independent mirror. Direct viewing is often awkward and does not provide the dentist with an adequate visual acuity or sufficient clarity to accurately and efficiently perform the procedure. The use of prior art viewing tools, such as a standard dental mirror or even prior art dental imaging devices, used in conjunction with a prior art dental laser instrument, is awkward at best, and in most instances, simply impractical. Furthermore, laser energy is dangerous to the patient if not applied properly, and is dangerous to the dentist and his assistant if the laser energy is accidentally reflected by a mirror, particularly if the reflected laser energy reaches their eyes.
Thus there remains the need to provide a dental practicioner with improved visual acuity, sufficient clarity, and an appropriate field of view when performing laser procedures in a convenient and confident manner, while providing a safe working environment for the patient, the practitioner, and bystanders.